


Marked

by ShayneyL



Series: Soulbound [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, M/M, Prompt Fic, Soulmarks, Soulmates, Writer's Month 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShayneyL/pseuds/ShayneyL
Summary: Voyageris conducting negotiations with a planet where the natives believe Tom Paris and Harry Kim are soulmates. But there's no such thing as soulmates...right?
Relationships: Harry Kim/Tom Paris, Kes/Neelix (Star Trek)
Series: Soulbound [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885336
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40
Collections: Writer's Month 2020





	Marked

**Author's Note:**

> Writer's Month 2020, Day 5. The prompt is "soulmates."

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ: *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

"I am Tashrezlan, your host. Your names, please?" The host of the hotel looked at them pleasantly over the polished wood of his massive desk.

"Tom Paris," Tom said. "And this is Harry Kim. We're guests of the governor."

Harry held his left hand up, palm outward, the polite greeting on this planet. Belatedly, Tom imitated him.

Tashrezlan's eyes widened. "They didn't tell me," he said.

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"No, no, it will be fine. Just give me a moment. I didn't realize you were soulmates."

Tom and Harry looked at each other, while Tashrezlan hurriedly worked on his computer.

"What makes you think we're soulmates?" Tom ventured.

Tashrezlan looked up. "It's obvious. Your soulmarks are right there on your arms, glowing."

It was a very warm world, and both Tom and Harry were wearing short-sleeved shirts, enjoying shore leave while the captain conducted trade negotiations. They looked at each other's arms, not seeing anything unusual.

"We're not from around here," Harry said. "What is a soulmark?"

"It's the sign the goddess puts on people who are meant to be together," the host said, still tapping at his computer. "So they will know each other when they meet."

"So, every here has a soulmate?" Tom asked.

"Everyone everywhere," the host said, as if it were obvious. "If someone doesn't have a soulmark, it means their soulmate has not been born yet." He held up a glittering jewel. "This will lead you to your room, and unlock the door. So sorry for the delay. That way." He gestured toward a long hall to their right. "Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything you need."

Tom wanted to ask more questions about soulmates, but Harry elbowed him in the ribs. Taking the hint, Tom accepted the jewel and thanked the host, following as Harry grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

As advertised, the gem glowed brighter as they went down the hall, flashing as they reached the fifth door on the left. The door slid open.

The room was huge and luxurious. But it appeared there was only one bed. A massive one, but still… "I thought we had booked two rooms, or at least a room with two beds," Tom said.

"We did. Tashrezlan changed it to one, because he thinks we're soulmates."

"Maybe I should go back and ask for two rooms."

"No," Harry said. "It seems like a religion for them. I don't think we should tell them their religion is wrong. I'll sleep on the floor, if you're worried about your virtue."

Tom picked up a pillow and threw it at Harry's head. Harry ducked easily, laughing.

Harry was right. No reason to risk a diplomatic incident. The bed was plenty big enough for two. Or even three or four. He wondered if threesomes or foursomes ever got matching soulmarks. "What do you think he meant, when he talked about glowing soulmarks? I didn't see anything."

"Me, neither," Harry said. "I wonder if his species can see wavelengths we can't." He pulled a tricorder out of his bag, and started fiddling with it.

Tom, having less scientific curiosity than Harry, began exploring the room. It was amazing, with a sweeping view over a lush valley, the sky pink and gold as the twin suns set. There was what looked like a bar, stocked with drinks and snacks. "Hey, Harry, when you finish with the tricorder, bring it over here. I want to see if this any of this stuff is safe for humans."

There was no answer. Tom turned to find Harry scanning his own arm, wide-eyed.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up, then came over to Tom and scanned his left arm. "I've adjusted the tricorder to detect the ultraviolet wavelengths the natives' eyes are most sensitive to," he said.

Tom looked at the readout, astounded. There was a delicate, intricate design, invisible to human eyes, on his inner wrist and forearm. "It's beautiful," he said.

"It's identical to the one on my arm," Harry said. He fiddled with the tricorder, and showed Tom. Sure enough…there was an identical pattern on Harry's arm.

It couldn't be a coincidence…could it? "Maybe it's just something all humans have," Tom suggested. "Some fluke of nerve patterns, or blood vessels, maybe."

Harry shook his head. "I checked my other arm, and there's nothing like it." He scanned Tom's right arm, and sure enough…nothing.

Tom held his left arm out, looking at the inside of his forearm. Harry held his beside Tom's. There was no trace of the pattern that was so visible in ultraviolet light. Wait…two dots, at what had been the darkest part of the design. Harry had two tiny moles, where Tom had two small pock marks. The only visible sign of the invisible mark.

"When did you get those moles?" Tom asked.

"I was born with them, according to my mom," Harry said. He'd noticed, too. "Where did those little scars come from?"

"Skiing accident when I was…" Tom's voice trailed off. "Eleven." _When Harry was born_. Most of the scars were easily erased with a regenerator, but these two kept coming back.

Tom looked at Harry for a long moment. His soulmate? Oh, how he wished it were true. But it couldn't be. Harry Kim was way out of his league. And besides, Tom wasn't the mystic type. "I don't believe in soulmates," he said. It came out weaker than he expected. "Do you?"

Harry was silent a long moment. "No," he said. "But we should probably go along with it while we're here. And tell the rest of the crew, so they can go along with it, too."

"Yeah," Tom said, not without a pang. "You're right."

* * *

The senior staff met for dinner on the back veranda. The view was possibly even better as darkness fell, the twinkling lights of the city in the valley rivaling the stars, rarely seen on this planet, with its binary suns.

"Things are going very well," Captain Janeway said over dessert, which was served as a middle course here. "Keep up the good work, and we'll be fully stocked with dilithium and other supplies in no time."

"She means try not to cause any problems," Chakotay said. He was looking pointedly at Tom.

"Speaking of which," Harry said hurriedly, "the locals think Tom and I are soulmates."

"Soul mates?" B'Elanna giggled. "You and Tom?"

"Something about a mark they see that's invisible to us. I think it's an important part of their religious beliefs, so go along with it, okay?"

"That seems like a reasonable course of action," Tuvok said, and the conversation moved on to other topics.

But Harry found himself looking at his arm, though he couldn't see the mark on it. Tom didn't believe in soul mates. Harry didn't, either, really, but…he kind of wished he did. He was half in love with Tom, and had been since the Tom of another timeline gave up his life for Harry. But even more…it would mean that there was some kind of purpose to their being thrown 75,000 light years across the galaxy. Sometimes Harry found himself obsessed with things that he could have done differently. If they'd gone a little faster…or a little slower. If he hadn't insisted on investigating that barn. If he'd stayed in the Ocampa underground, instead of trying to reach the surface…

But if there was such a thing as soulmates, and he and Tom had soulmarks that could only be read by the people on this planet…it would suggest that what happened was meant to be. _Voyager_ was destined to be thrown into the Delta Quadrant, had a purpose here, and maybe nothing Harry could have done would have averted it.

After dinner, Harry sought out Neelix, who was standing at the railing with Kes, watching colorful lights flashing over the city below. True darkness was so rare here, people celebrated it with chemical incendiaries, like fireworks on Earth.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Neelix said.

"Yes… Can I ask you something, Neelix?"

"Go ahead."

"You're a native of the Delta Quadrant. Is the belief in soulmarks widespread here?"

"Yes," Neelix said. "It's a big part of the religion of this entire sector."

"Do you believe in them?"

"No," Neelix said. "Bunch of superstitious hooey."

"Yeah, me too," Harry said. He watched the alien fireworks for awhile longer with Neelix and Kes, then headed back to the room he was sharing with his non-soulmate, Tom.

* * *

"Are you sure, Neelix?" Kes asked after Harry left. "I've always sensed…something between Harry and Tom. A more than ordinary bond."

"Yes, I'm sure, sweetums," Neelix said. "You and I don't have matching soulmarks. If we aren't soulmates, no one is."

"I suppose you're right," Kes said.


End file.
